Ural Airlines’ first scheduled Chelyabinsk-Moscow-Chelyabinsk flight was operated on December 5, 2011. The fact that there were a lot of passengers even on this ‘maiden voyage’ proves that the service will be popular with the residents of Chelyabinsk: over 50% of seats were taken, Ural Airlines’ press service reports. Ural Airlines will now be operating scheduled flights from Chelyabinsk to Moscow and back in accordance with the following timetable: U6 610 Moscow-Chelyabinsk: departure time is 10:05 PM, arrival time is 02:15 AM (every day except for Saturday); U6 609 Chelyabinsk-Moscow:

25% plus one share of the Yekaterinburg-based Grand Avenue Hotel are now put up to auction, Vecherny Yekaterinburg reports. The number of shares offered for privatization comes to 416,834.

The customs and the police officers of Khanty-Mansiysky Autonomous Region Yugra conducted five inspections of retail stores in Surgut, Nefteyugansk, and Kogalym in November 2011 in order to prevent sales of pirated products. As a result, 125 counterfeit items were confiscated, the spokesperson for Ural Customs Administration reports. The confiscated items comprised ‘Adidas’ sportswear and footwear as well as ‘Hugo Boss’ colognes. All the suspicious-looking items were withdrawn for an expert examination. The results of this examination will determine whether administrative or criminal action

The international chemical and pharmaceutical concern Bayer AG is interested in setting up a joint scientific research venture with some Russian partners, with one of Skolkovo’s first residents Ural Pharmaceutical Center being the most likely candidate. This was something discussed at the meeting of Vice Premier and Head of Sverdlovsk Region Government Administration Pavel Korolev with the German concern’s representatives. One of Bayer representatives said their technology experts are already working at Ural Pharmaceutical Cluster’s facilities; they can look into the production and come up